Getting a decent berth when away from home.

[CalicoJack]

Our boat is a beauty, she sails wonderfully, motors well, but being long keel with no other aids she is usually a bit of a madam if it involves reversing. As a result whenever I book at a marina I explain this to the people allocating the berths and wherever possible let them know in advance, as well I ask them for a berth that I have a decent chance of getting in and out of. Let me share two experiences that I have had this year.

Firstly we arrived, having given the marina a weeks notice that we were coming to be told that our 10m yacht would be berthing between two day boats, which would have floated on a damp sponge. I was suspicious as we had visited the marina a few years ago and was concerned about the amount of draught that we needed, the two tight turns needed to get there and the lack of space, once arrived to get out again. I was reassured by the operative that all was well. Fortunately I checked the layout in the pilot book and on Google maps and refused. In fairness I did overhear a conversation on the radio between two operatives, one of whom seemed to know what I meant which resulted in being allocated a more accessible berth; notice I didn’t use the term easy.

The second one as we approached had a vacant hammerhead, but I was told that this was not the berth I was allocated as it was for boats that found manoeuvring difficult. Errr, hello that’s us! The berth we we given was actually not too bad, fortunately someone took a line and we were in. The annoying point, the hammerhead, which was for boats with restricted manoeuvrability was later allocated to a 10m motor cruiser with twin engines and both bow and stern thrusters.

Is it me, or do others come across this issue?

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Yes, we get that. Ours is a bit of a pig for entirely opposite reasons. We can reverse, we can also go sideways. Sadly, control over the sideways bit isnt in the helmsmans remit. Often, they seem to think we can’t walk the length of a pontoon and allocate us one deep insde, usually with a brisk crosswind. It causes a lot of amazement when we go nose or stern first onto the pontoon and winch the other end in! Plus a lot of unwanted advice and distraction.

 

[Sandy]

The chap who owned a long keeler when I was in a marina last year made his own bow thruster that he hung over the pulpit. A brilliant bit of engineering and he could maneuver the boat with ease; without digging big holes in the keel.

 

[lustyd]

Unfortunately I don't think it's feasible these days to accomodate people asking for easy berths, everywhere is insanely busy. There's a reason boats have evolved to be manoevrable in tight spaces, and it's not because they sail better!

 

[dunedin]

To some extent if you choose a boat unsuited to marinas, perhaps need to accept the consequences and use anchorages and mooring buoys instead? Choices have consequences.
Or as Sandy says invest in a bow thruster or similar.

 

[steveeasy]

Sorry but its hard enough to get a good berth when im at home. you think you have one, then someone with more money!!comes along. they pay exactly the same and out I go. well rather in I go. I call it a puddle. They call it my spot. well till they feel sufficiently satisfied. Still its water off a ducks back to me!!!. comes round every year and im about the only sad sole to actually go sailing.
Happy Days.
Steveeasy

 

[Chiara’s slave]

To some extent if you choose a boat unsuited to marinas, perhaps need to accept the consequences and use anchorages and mooring buoys instead? Choices have consequences.
Or as Sandy says invest in a bow thruster or similar.

Very happy to avoid marinas, but its not so easy these days.

 

[RivalRedwing]

I suspect a lot of marina employees either do not sail or have scant experience of more mature boat designs, i.e. they might not have the experience to understand what you are asking for (which is not an unreasonable request imho).

 

[lustyd]

they might not have the experience to understand what you are asking for

I suspect more likely that they hear the same story from almost every boat so just ignore it. Probably better to ask for help from their launch than a better berth, then if there really is a problem they will decide to solve it on their own.

 

[ryanroberts]

Having just sailed on a version of my long keel boat without thrusters in the med I am extremely grateful the previous owner fitted some. Even then, there's still no way I can chuck her around in reverse like I was doing with a far larger fin keel in the Canaries this year.

 

[CalicoJack]

Interesting to read how some people are finding marinas so busy that they are having trouble finding decent berths, or having found one they then getting moved out. Here on the East Coast, based in Chatham, I have found that since lockdown the number of vacant berths has increased enormously. My limited experience has made me think that it’s not a lack of berths that is the problem, but a reluctance to allocate them to those who really need them, through ignorance or perhaps each marina runs a DotD (Dick of the Day) competition, where they allocate a tricky berth and fall about laughing as the poor crew tries to find its way to getting tied up.

I must say that whenever we go somewhere and get allocated a buoy or a place on a pontoon out on the river operatives have been more than happy to help. Usually we get told by someone in a launch to follow me, give me time to get sorted so that I can get there and take your lines.

 

[CalicoJack]

The chap who owned a long keeler when I was in a marina last year made his own bow thruster that he hung over the pulpit. A brilliant bit of engineering and he could maneuver the boat with ease; without digging big holes in the keel.

That sounds interesting, any ideas how it worked?

 

[Clancy Moped]

I suspect a lot of marina employees either do not sail or have scant experience of more mature boat designs, i.e. they might not have the experience to understand what you are asking for (which is not an unreasonable request imho).

When we were based in Calvi one of the marina guys lived on his dad's yacht for the summer, all new marina staff went out with him and had to moor up med style with no instruction, they became a lot more helpful to incoming after that.

 

[Dellquay13]

That sounds interesting, any ideas how it worked?

modify an electric trolling motor? There's a smallish planing mobo in my marina with a bow thruster that looks very much like one.

 

[Sandy]

That sounds interesting, any ideas how it worked?

A big long pole with a bracket that attached to the pulpit. At the bottom of the pole was an electric motor with a propellor. Cables back to a battery and a switch to go left and right.

 

[mjcoon]

A big long pole with a bracket that attached to the pulpit. At the bottom of the pole was an electric motor with a propellor. Cables back to a battery and a switch to go left and right.

That's easy for you to write! Most electric motors expect to have air circulation to dissipate excess heat. If successfully hermetically sealed that won't be available, but I suppose the duty cycle is for short bursts only... The next fun thing to cope with is corrosion!

 

[Sandy]

That's easy for you to write! Most electric motors expect to have air circulation to dissipate excess heat. If successfully hermetically sealed that won't be available, but I suppose the duty cycle is for short bursts only... The next fun thing to cope with is corrosion!

I can only report what I have witnessed. If the OP is interested and drops me a PM I can see if the chap in the next berth to me last year is happy to share his secrets in getting his bow thruster to work.

 

[Dellquay13]

That's easy for you to write! Most electric motors expect to have air circulation to dissipate excess heat. If successfully hermetically sealed that won't be available, but I suppose the duty cycle is for short bursts only... The next fun thing to cope with is corrosion!

this seems like a ready made solution to a motor on a pole designed to be airtight and waterproof. A bit of jiggery pokery with the controls, a relay and a switch in the cockpit and you have a rudimentary bowthruster

 

[jamie N]

I've not made my Folkboat a bowthruster, but do have a 2.3 Honda on a bracket at the stern, which as a 360° thruster in a tight marina is superb for getting in, out and around any number of pontoons. My own slot at Inverness marina demands a 180° turn around the hammerhead to my berth.

 

[CalicoJack]

I've not made my Folkboat a bowthruster, but do have a 2.3 Honda on a bracket at the stern, which as a 360° thruster in a tight marina is superb for getting in, out and around any number of pontoons. My own slot at Inverness marina demands a 180° turn around the hammerhead to my berth.
View attachment 137815

Goodness me! I would have thought an agility dog might well struggle, let alone a boat.